100 Themes
by CrossedHeart
Summary: A compilation of chapters, covering 100 themes of Ryuuji and Taiga's lives after Episode 25, told in a series of one-shots.
1. Beginnings

I. Beginnings

* * *

It was wild to think about the first time he'd met her.

Takasu Ryūji's second year at Ohashi, standing outside of class 2-C. He had been beside himself, engulfed in pure euphoria— Kushieda Minori had approached him and his best friend, Kitamura Yūsaku, with that token skip in her step. Her cerise pink tresses were bouncing, the beam on her face comparable only to the brightest of sunshines. She had remembered his name, acknowledged him as a friend... a friend-of-a-friend, anyway, and for the school's resident 'delinquent,' that was quite a flattering feat.

He had been beside himself, unable to control the rosiness of his cheeks, or how madly he stuttered. That was when he walked away, and met someone that would change his life in an incredible way. An incredibly _unpredictable_ way.

Something had bumped him. He had bumped into something? No, some _one_. Students were whispering, watching wide-eyed from the sidelines, clutching the walls like they were more willing to dive out of the windows than get between the crossfire of the Delinquent and the... what was it, ' _Palmtop Tiger?'_

He had finally looked down. The Palmtop Tiger was a tiny, tiny girl with mousy-blonde hair that reached just below her waist in waves. At first glance, ignoring the fire in her dark, amber eyes, she looked completely harmless. It was like a porcelain doll was shaking her fist at him, rubbing her head with neat, furrowed brows.

But those fists delivered blows that were very unlike that of a little doll; probably something more akin to a master of martial arts. Despite how he towered over her, the Palmtop Tiger sent him reeling backwards, flat on the floor, with a single unexpected swing.

That was his first encounter with Aisaka Taiga last year. Now, he was rubbing his nose, staring at an open, grey locker that this girl, clad in her red-and-blue uniform, had decided to hide in.

"H-How could you say something so embarrassing in broad daylight?!" Taiga was shrieking, obstinately refusing to meet his eyes. Her burning, rosy face was stuffing itself into his abdomen, fists pounding harmlessly at his chest. "You're supposed to wait for the right m-mood or... or... s-situation!"

The right mood... the right situation... Taiga had told him once how she wished she could have had a normal life. A life as a normal girl with normal parents, where she could fall in love 'normally.' But the two of them were anything but normal. They had initially joined forces to help each other gain the affections of their respective romantic interests, but at some point, something had changed. Changed enough for the two of them to be sitting on their knees one night, confessing to their friends— former crushes included —their plans of running away together and eloping after Ryūji's 18th birthday that upcoming May. A confession to which their friends had responded with roars of disbelief. But Ryūji had been dead-set on it. It was whatever he had to do to keep Taiga by his side.

Sooner or later, she would have to accept just how unconventional they really were.

And he could think of ways to help her adjust after he got over the immense pain in his nose, where Taiga had felt the appropriate response to "I love you" was to headbutt his face. His face did certainly not agree, but he couldn't be angry, not at all. Well, maybe a little bit, but it didn't compare to the humming of his heart, and the fulfillment of a hollowness he had been coping with while she was gone. It was like a vital piece of him had been returned.

Ryūji had been waiting to tell her he loved her since that night they sat, staring each other down in freezing cold water. He had gotten interrupted twice, and Taiga had noticed, reminding him in a text shortly after she disappeared that he had never told her. Ryūji decided that he was not going to be the type of man to profess his love over a text message, so he had waited.

Finally, he had gotten those three words off of his chest, and in return had Taiga, bleary-eyed and sniffling, attached to it instead, wiping all that was coming from her face onto his school uniform. Usually, he'd have something to say about that, but the girl's arms had tired, settling around his waist and squeezing him so tightly... He and Taiga did not have many moments of physical intimacy, so he would gladly take a few snot stains on his attire if it meant he could hold her like he did once last Christmas.

Ryūji took his cupped hand off of his throbbing nose and placed it gently over her back, pulling her into him. Trying to hide her sniffing, Taiga peeked up at Ryūji, and he felt his heart jump when their eyes met. He had missed her like crazy, but he was also... unprepared. They had been unofficially engaged for two days and then dated for months long-distance, unable to communicate. In a lot of ways, no matter his declarations of marriage, he was still kind of digesting that... Aisaka Taiga was his girlfriend. His confession of love had been a long time coming, with plenty of preparing, that he could say it so casually, so seamlessly... but while his imagination had run wild, with her here in his arms... everything felt so real, and suddenly bared the weight of reality.

They had both grown in their time apart... that is, mentally, of course. Taiga was not a centimeter taller than when he'd last seen her.

This was a new beginning for the dragon and his tigress.


	2. Spell

II. Spell

* * *

Kitamura... Kushieda... Kawashima... Ryūji could see them all outside of the window from the corner of his eye, muttering amongst themselves in front of the school. The opening ceremony would be starting soon, and eventually he and Taiga would have to join them in the school gymnasium.

 _Yes, soon..._ he thought, _but definitely not now._

Taiga was still clutching onto the back of his shirt, sniveling. It was the calm after the storm; the gentle and tender little tigress that he had gotten to know better than anyone else. Almost maternally, he began to rub his hand around her back in circles. She usually hated when he tried to comfort her, but for now she remained unopposed, hiccuping quietly as her fingers nearly tore his uniform apart with their trembling, vice-like grip.

"Ry-Ryūji... I-I d-did it..." she sobbed into him, voice muffled by the fabric of his school uniform.

Ryūji's lips formed into a smile on the crown of her head, the tip of his nose brushing against the roots of her amber-coloured hair.

"You did," he affirmed, his voice soft. He could only assume she was talking about her goal, the one she had come up with the night they spent at Ryūji's grandparents' place. After he had mended things with Yasuko, and even helped her rebuild her relationship with her own parents, he had told Taiga that they would not marry until they had everyone's approval― including her parents. Their marriage would have more meaning that way, and he knew his love for her wouldn't falter, however long it took.

It was the next day that Taiga disappeared, immediately getting to work on fixing her relationship with her mother.

But... that trial was now over... Taiga had returned to him, accomplished, no less. He was sure she would have a better explanation for him once the tears passed. For now, however...

Ryūji swallowed a lump in his throat. He had been waiting for Taiga for so long, as much as he was endeared to her pouting, he wanted so badly to see her smile again... Strengthening his grip around her back, he hoisted the small teenage girl into the air. Taiga, shocked, let out a tiny gasp, releasing her hold on Ryūji for a fleeting moment as her legs swung beneath her, before clinging to him again quickly.

"Ry-Ryūji?!" she growled, sounding more like usual herself, though her tone was still nasally from the build-up of snot.

"It's really you... Taiga."

He began to spin her slowly, aware that he was not in a space where it was wise to go full-out, like he would have preferred. In this position, her foot would likely have smashed through the window, or he'd get dizzy and step back and trip over one of the chair legs... Taiga had already made the front of his face sorely sensitive, he didn't think he could sit through the ceremony with the back of his head busted open as well.

"Wha... of c-course it i-is! Wh-who else would y-you tell you l-lov... um..." Taiga's own offended shouting was cut off by herself, as she seemed to rewind to just a few minutes ago. Slowing down to a wobbly halt, Ryūji set her back down on her feet, his lips dry and stomach aflutter. His words still had such an impact on her... The dark-haired boy caught himself staring, and quickly sharpened his senses as if she might headbutt him again. She wasn't smiling like he had hoped, but... it was unfair to the rest of the world just how beautiful she was.

"No one," he whispered, lowering his head to try and peek at Taiga's face. The girl avoided eye-contact with him, choosing to stare at her shoes instead. Breathing heavily, he lifted his hand until the side of his index finger bumped her chin, and he raised her face, daring her to look him in the eyes. "You... Taiga, you're the only one."

He caught her gaze, her glossy amber eyes penetrating his own, dark brown. It was like she was searching him for any trace of a lie, like she still couldn't believe that someone could really love her as much as he did. But the way tears gathered again in the corners of her eyes, she _had_ to know. His feelings for Kushieda were gone, non-existent... and in retrospect, they were nothing but a schoolboy crush next to the volumes of love he felt for Taiga.

"You idiot..." she croaked quietly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. "Don't look at me like that..."

He couldn't help it. Somewhere along their journey together, Taiga had put a spell on him and he had no ambition to find the cure.

She suddenly dug her palm into his face without warning, pouting fiercely as he winced. His nose was still recovering from the impact of her head, after all...

Pretending she wasn't completely flushed, Taiga cleared her throat, changing the subject to one her heart could deal with without quivering. "S-so, my mom couldn't afford the apartment that my father lost, but... we, um... moved nearby. So... you and Ya-chan can come and visit."

"Definitely!" Ryūji responded without a shred of hesitation, moving her hand away from his face and earning a look of flustered surprise from Taiga.

Despite how it seemed, Ryūji was definitely, certainly, lip-trembling and palm-sweating degrees of nervous, but the elation he felt outweighed most of his insecurity. He'd never had a girlfriend before, he'd never felt this strongly about anyone before... he didn't really know what he was supposed to do... so he would treat her the same as always. His enthusiasm, everything... it all came to him naturally, and so it's what he chose to roll with.

Movement from his peripheral vision caught his attention, and he could see students moving from the school grounds into the building. Crap... they had been there too long.

"We have to go," he muttered, and Taiga moved to look out of the window curiously. Only after saying the words did he realise how much they sank his heart, like a ship at the bottom of the cruel and relentless ocean. But really, the ocean was his gut, and he was pitiful. He wanted more time alone with her... though his heart skipped a beat when he realised he might get to see that grin of hers once she reunited with their other friends.

Bravely, he took her hand and began to guide her away from the window. She gave an indignant huff at being pulled away without any kind of verbal warning or beckon, but she followed him, closing her fingers around his as they went.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry these are so rambly!

And that timeline got me all kinds of confused... I read the light novel recently, which is what inspired to write this morning! It ends with Ryuuji starting his third year of high school, and I kind of wanted to try writing out him and Taiga's relationship while still in classes, because it gives me much more of a base to work off of... and I've always been so desperate to see how Ryūji and Taiga's relationship develops after that tiny tease we've given at the end of the anime. So... this is sort of a mix of the anime and light novel timelines. Sorry for the confusion! I'll try to make everything consistent from here on out.

(I'll also try to make them longer...)

-Cross


	3. Burning

III. Burning

* * *

"You shouldn't have missed school today..."

 _That_ was the first thing he wanted to say to her?

"And Ya-chan shouldn't miss work. I'm taking care of you in her place, got it?" she replied obstinately, her voice terse. She knelt next to his futon, testing the temperature of the wet rag that was draped across his forehead. The cloth was damp and warm, even though it had only been replaced a few minutes ago. One almost wouldn't be able to guess it had ever been cool in the first place.

Taiga sighed, taking it off of his head and dipping it in the cool, icy water she had laid near his head. Wringing it, she positioned it gently across his forehead once more. Almost immediately, much to Taiga's chagrin, the cold rag began to reach room temperature once in contact with Ryūji's searing skin. "Besides..." she muttered, her voice losing its commanding edge, "school's so boring when you're not there."

The thought of him being alone and feverish was hard to bear, because knowing Ryūji, it was what he wanted. He didn't want to burden anyone, especially not his mother, but deep down in a human's most primitive desires, surely he wanted someone he could trust by his side during this time. She had been so dismayed in the morning, watching the time tick by as she stood in their usual meeting place on their pathway to school. Normally, _he'd_ be the one waiting for _her_ ― even though she had gotten more responsible over the past couple months, he was still some kind of mutant freak that could wake up at the crack of dawn and actually function. Honestly, she kind of admired his willpower, as unsettling as it was.

Chewing her lip, she wondered, what did their classmates think of his absence? Last year, at this time, they would have jumped to the conclusion that 'delinquent Takasu' was just playing hooky, but... both of 2-C's outcasts had expanded their relationships past just one another. People weren't scared of Ryūji anymore. He wasn't absent a whole lot either, so she couldn't help but want to pry when she would later get the chance...

Taiga twiddled her thumbs, watching her smooth nails scrape noiselessly over one another. Were they concerned? She knew Minorin and Kitamura must have been, but she never took out her phone after getting to Ya-chan's house, not even to let anyone outside know about the situation or where they were. She probably had a lot of missed calls. It was one thing for Ryūji to be absent, but for her on the same day...

 _'Crap_ , _'_ she realised, suddenly and bitterly. They wouldn't be concerned for him at all. Noto and Haruta were probably passing out weird theories like candy, perverted bastards.

"What time is it?" Ryūji asked, breaking Taiga's trail of thought. His words were strewn together like a drunk man's. By the knitting of his brows and the beads of sweat rolling down his temples, into his soft, misty hair, he looked almost pained to speak. She would have told him to shut up if she wasn't equally elated to hear his voice. She had been tending to him and his fever all day, after all, while he had been asleep.

"Late," she said simply. Shouldn't the darkness of the room be enough for him to know that? She hadn't even turned on a light, to make sure she wouldn't disturb him.

Balling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring at the swath of milky stars outside. It was whatever she could see of the night sky anyway, with her old apartment building blocking what had probably once been a beautiful view.

Amber eyes trailed back down to Ryūji, who hadn't given as much as a grunt of acknowledgement. Did it matter what time it was? Her gaze, half-lidded, caressed his burning face as he took small, shallow breaths.

Ryūji would be eighteen in just a few hours.

Taiga's toes curled, the hairs on her neck and arms rising. Would they go back to being fiances again? ' _I wouldn't mind,'_ she thought unabashed, though shortly after, her shoulders arched out of an unspoken sheepishness. There were only a few more trials and tribulations before she could call Ryūji her husband, right? There were definitely still some hurdles _she_ had to jump.

Quick to distract herself from encroaching on such concepts any further, she took the cloth off of Ryūji and repeated the process like clockwork, dipping it in icy water before laying it back across his forehead. Only, her hand lingered at the edge of the folded material, her fingertips brushing her boyfriend's sweltering temples. It was like steam was coming off of him... he had been sweating out his fever ever since she got there that morning, she was actually surprised his first word when woken wasn't a chap-lipped, gasping plea for water.

"Can you sit up? You need to drink some water," she decided.

"Taiga..." Ryūji might have only been saying her name, or had a comment to follow― she would never know. His voice faded as her fingers trailed tenderly down the side of his face, her small, delicate palm resting against his burning cheek.

"I'm taking care of you today, okay?"

She got up and ran to the kitchen, flicking on the light. Reaching the faucet, Taiga grabbed a glass from the shelf and turned on the cold water. On her tiptoes, she found she was actually kind of pleased with herself. Last year, she could hardly take care of her diet, but today she had been trusted with the welfare of someone who earnestly needed her. Even when Ya-chan had been home in her time before work, Taiga sat by his side, doing everything that his mother told her to. Of course, Ya-chan had insisted, much like Ryūji, that she go to school, but she was unable to hide her thrill and admiration when Taiga doggedly refused to leave him sick and alone on the day before his birthday.

A tingling sensation began to rise in her cheeks, little pin pricks of warmth that made her slump against the counter bashfully. The reason she could even care for him like this was because he had spent the last year caring for her so much. Even though it seemed like she never picked up on all the ways he doted on her, with how much she continued to lean on him, she had definitely learned a thing or two about tending to the person you love...

Realising abruptly that the glass was overflowing, she hastily turned off the faucet and tipped some water into the sink. Satisfied by the water's level, and that she wouldn't spill any on her short walk back to Ryūji's side, Taiga rolled back on her heels and rejoined his side. Settling down on her knees, she couldn't help but make a face at the boy who had made a feeble attempt at sitting up on his elbows. Jaw clenched, using strength to move his body that he didn't currently have, he really looked like a pathetic puppy, in a way that made her heart hurt.

"Here."

Ryuuji breathed out and reached for the glass, but Taiga swatted away his hand. He blinked at her, too groggy to even react like he was properly startled, so she rested one hand on his warm trapezius, and with her other, brought the rim of the glass to his lips. His small eyes looked from the glass, to her own, and she found herself fighting stubbornly against her body's innate desire to tremble.

She tipped the glass, and Ryūji's lips parted obediently.

His neck bobbed slightly with each gulp, and Taiga found herself mesmerised by the movement. Even though he was scary-faced to most, when he was as vulnerable as she usually felt, he was... cute. Cute like a puppy with three legs. He was still sick and red-faced and bleary-eyed, but he was endearing. So endearing, even, that she quickly moved the now half-emptied glass away when Ryuuji tried to communicate in gurgles that he had perhaps had his fill.

 _'Don't drown him!'_ she chastised herself sternly, making note for future reference. There would be no standing by each other's side forever if she killed him. Who kills their boyfriend on the day before his birthday? Santa certainly wouldn't visit her again.

"Thanks," he huffed, no ill intent in his voice as he wiped a dribble of water from his bottom lip with the back of his hand.

"Mhm," Taiga muttered, placing the glass next to the small tub of icy water.

Ryuuji then seemed to give into his body's weight and wishes, and lowered a bit too hurriedly back onto the floor. Taiga moved her hand away quickly with a quiet squeal, but worried more that he hadn't hurt his head or shoulders. For a dragon, his body could be pretty sensitive.

The dark-haired boy exhaled deeply once more, tired eyes drifting towards the window.

"I'm worried... if it gets too dark... I want you to get home safe, since I can't walk you..."

"Who says I'm going home?"

The words came out of her mouth before she could think them over, and Ryūji's stupefied stare met her own astonished one. Did she mean that? Her mom would want her home... would Ya-chan mind? Ryūji's mother must have been aware of the way her parents set up his and Taiga's futons back at his grandparent's house, so chances were slim. Either way, no matter their opinions, or how hard Ryūji's breathing was... she did want to stay by his side tonight, like what was once promised to one another.

"But..."

"Do you want me to go?"

"..."

"So there! I'm staying, and you'll get better so we can actually celebrate your birthday tomorrow."

Blushing, embarrassed, and no matter what the outcome would be, in that moment she wanted to be certain. To show just how not-going-home she was, she pushed aside the tub and glass, careful not to tip them or be too forceful, and lied down next to Ryūji on his futon. They were nearly nose-to-nose... she hadn't intended on lying that close, but she wouldn't take her eyes off of his, if only to prove a point.

...The point that she wasn't going home? She still wasn't entirely sure if _she_ was the one who had decided that... the voice was hers, but it was like the declaration belonged to someone a lot more sure of herself. To mulishly declare to a boy that she was sleeping over made her feel anything but composed. And now she could feel his muggy breath on her lips, the tips of their noses bumping. She tried to ignore the intense stirring in her gut, but her heart was only still in her rib-cage thanks to the thin strings holding it back. It felt like it was about to leap right out of her throat.

Biting her lip and averting her gaze, she quickly ducked her head and squirmed her way down the futon so that the only thing she could see was his neck and upper torso, which was covered by a plain white T-shirt. She lowered her chin until her forehead bumped just beneath his armpit, her fingers resting delicately against his chest, just above his comforter. This was... frustrating. How could she ask him for kiss after kiss just a couple months ago, and suddenly just trying to embrace him was too much?

 _'You're overthinking it... He loves you, he even said so!'_

Her breath hitched, not expecting the brush of his wrist against her waist as he draped an arm around her side like a sad little noodle.

 _'This is your chance to be the big spoon..!'_

But he was laying flat on his back, although she could no longer see the expression he was wearing. He had turned away, his hand over his mouth.

 _'Idiot...'_ she scowled, though she wasn't certain which one of them she was addressing.

* * *

 **A/N:** This came out of nowhere... oops 'v'


End file.
